A chicken is approximately eighty percent water. A broiler chicken, for example, will typically increase its birth weight four fold in seven days and weigh four pounds in forty two days. Fresh clean water is therefore vital in the growing of poultry. Chicken life, on the otherhand, begins when hatched, and at one day it can see, talk, stand, walk and knows to seek food. After customary debeaking however, sight becomes the primary sense for the finding of food. The yolk typically will sustain the chick for 5-7 days. Allowing 1-3 days for hatching and hauling, the bird must then begin to eat and drink but will usually not eat without an ample supply of water. It is therefore vital that the bird quickly find water to avoid both starvation and achieve maximum gain. Broilers eventually attain a six pound weight, while a turkey hen reaches mineteen pounds and a tom turkey reaches thirty-four pounds.
In recent years, dispensing of fresh water to fowl or small animals has increasingly been provided by the use of demand actuated water dispensers directly connected to a fresh water supply. The dispenser typically comprises a valve connected in a secured relation to a water supply line and formed of a corrosion resistant composition such as plastic or a selected metal. Included in the valve is a displacable valve actuator in the form of a spring biased elongated stem extending beyond the valve body at its distal end to within beak reach of the poultry. Individual birds wanting to drink, peck at the valve stem in opposition to a light spring force enabling fresh water to be automatically dispensed. When drinking is completed, the stem is released and the spring force reverts the stem to its cutoff relation. Water pressure typically is varied from about 1.33 oz. during the first week of life to 2.66 oz. during the second week to 9.24 oz. at 4-5 weeks.
For varying the flow rate being dispensed when the valve is actuated, it has been known to utilize various interchangeable devices such as disclosed, for example, in U.S. Pat. No. 4,370,948. Exemplifying demand type animal watering devices of the prior art are the disclosures of U.S. Pat. Nos. 2,939,424; 3,777,714; 3,698,431; 4,187,804; 4,370,948; 4,416,221; 4,491,088; 4,573,433 and 5,003,927.
It is known therefore to achieve different outputs from the dispenser by altering mechanical operating structures thereof. However, it is recognized that even poultry requirements vary from the smaller bird, that pecks lightly on the dispenser for a minimal demand, to a larger bird that pecks more severely for an increased demand. Pecking by larger birds is known to impose vibration that causes dispensing irregularities. Smaller animals and their young will similarly affect the output of such dispensers.
Despite recognition of the foregoing, it has not heretofore been known to provide a single dispenser that affords a range of output in a correlated response to the demand force imposed on the dispenser actuator. At the same time, it has not been known heretofore how to adequately prompt the new born chick to initiate use of such dispensers.